


Madeline Cobblepot

by D4MIANWAYNE



Series: Madeline Cobblepot [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Madeline Cobblepot, faceclaim is young christina ricci, gotham universe mainly but could be any universe really, he ends up adopting one of them, her name is madeline, oswald opens the iceberg lounge to homeless teens in gotham
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29348595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D4MIANWAYNE/pseuds/D4MIANWAYNE
Summary: Oswald Cobblepot has allowed the homeless youth of Gotham into his lounge with open arms, before hours of operation, of course. He gives them a roof over their head, a meal, clothes if they need it, and whatever else he's able to provide. Madeline doesn't buy it. But she checks it out anyways.
Series: Madeline Cobblepot [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155797
Kudos: 8





	Madeline Cobblepot

People had passed around a secret in the streets of Gotham, seemingly one only the homeless youth seemed to know about, as far as most could tell. 

Before it’s opening hours, The Iceberg Lounge was a safe haven for the homeless to come in and have a meal or warm up on frigid Gotham days. 

Madeline didn’t believe it. 

She knew who ran it, Oswald Cobblepot. The Penguin. Sure, maybe he had enough of a heart to let homeless kids in to eat, but at the end of the day he was a criminal. Still, she couldn’t help but go herself, blending in with the groups of other kids, all different ages, making their way across the streets of Gotham to end their walk at the front doors of the Iceberg Lounge, waiting for the clock tower to ring out, announcing the turn from four o’clock to five. 

The tower rang out, loud bongs filling the city as the clock struck five, and some of the kids seemed to get excited. A kid next to Madeline, definitely younger but much taller than her, started to bounce on his feet. 

She simply shoved her hands in her pockets as a cold chill blew through the air. 

Madeline wouldn’t admit it, but she was terrified. She hated adults. She lost all trust for them years ago. First from her parents, then the adults who would steal her spare money that she would save up to purchase food and resold clothes at charity stores around the city, and the people who would promise to buy her a meal then never showed their face again. She learned adults weren’t anything good, they were just there to lie to kids and give them a false sense of hope that things would get better for them one day. 

With a small noise only trained ears could hear, the doors to the club were unlocked and pushed open, granting the kids access to the building and a warm place to be for the next few hours. 

In one big step the kids all burst inside excitedly. There were voices coming from deeper inside, one clearly a woman singing over voices discussing something that would go over a kids head. They died down as the group surged to the tables, everyone flying to a seat. 

Oswald Cobblepot stood in the middle of the club, a welcoming smile on his face as he watched everyone take a seat. 

Madeline rushed to an empty table of two seats, sitting down nervously and looking around, slightly curling into herself as everyone finished sitting. Looking around, she realized she didn’t know many of the kids there. She recognized a few, and relaxed a bit in comfort as she realized she wasn’t completely alone. 

She sat away from one girl she knew, Chrissy. She was kind and younger, maybe seven or eight, but Madeline didn’t want to be near any adults, and Chrissy told her that “the green man” would help her with her homework. Madeline found that concerning. A green man. No one should be green. Except maybe Poison Ivy. But it was Gotham, so it wasn’t as surprising as some of the other things the city has birthed.

The excited chatter from the new guests quieted down as Oswald cleared his throat loudly, taking a few uneven steps forward. The woman who was on stage singing, Wren, finished her song, silently stepping away from the microphone and exiting the stage. Madeline sat near a promotional poster with the woman on it, as well as a schedule of her upcoming performances. 

Penguin started talking and Madeline started to zone out, staring at the wall past him. She picked up little bits of what he said, something about how happy he was to welcome everyone back and welcome the new faces, which caught her attention and made her heartbeat pick up and her stomach turn. 

He finished talking and with a gesture of his hands caterers poured out of nowhere with trays and carts full of food and drinks, bringing them around to the tables. A pretty girl with short black hair, a black top and a bowtie came up to her table, presenting her a few different plates of food to choose from as well as different drinks consisting of water and sodas. 

She went simple, picking a serving of macaroni and a glass of water. The waitress smiled at her as she chose, saying “Eat up, angel.” as she walked off. Madeline frowned back, watching her walk off to the next closest table before turning back to her food on the table. 

She picked up the fork and poked at the food carefully, taking a cautious bite of it. 

It was delicious. 

She learned not to eat fast over the years, savor what she had while she had it, so she took her time to eat and enjoy. She continuously checked over her shoulder, making sure no adults were on their way over, or that everyone hadn’t left and pulled some extravagant prank on her. She also kept her eye out for the allusive “green man.”

After turning around for another time, she looked back at her plate, almost jumping when she saw a man sitting in the chair across from her.

Oswald Cobblepot.

She cringed inwardly at herself, looking at the man with a blank face. 

He smiled.

She frowned.

“It’s lovely to meet you…” he paused, waiting for a name, reaching his hand across the table for a handshake.

When he didn’t receive a response, his smile wavered slightly before quickly curling back up, pulling his hand back. 

“That’s fine, dear, you don’t need to talk. A lot of these kids take a while to open up. Some have been coming for months and still haven’t. I just like to greet all of my guests personally.” 

As he spoke, Madeline tried her best to focus on what he said and not let it go in one ear and right out the other. That’s what she learned to do over the years with other adults. Stop listening to them. 

“Are you listening to me?” 

Shoot.

He sounded upset. Offended, maybe. She looked back at him, sitting up slightly. She hadn’t even realized she’d zoned out.

“Are you listening?” He pressed on, emphasizing each individual word. Yeah, definitely upset.

Madeline considered her options. Tell the truth to a criminal and risk the consequences, or lie to a criminal and risk the consequences. 

“I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t.” Be formal. Be polite. Maybe he won’t kill you. 

Maybe.

He stared at her in an unreadable silence, one hand resting on the table, the other on a cane. Then he slowly smiled, shaking his head softly and looking down. “It’s quite alright, dear. No need to apologize. This is your first time here, I’m sure you’re just overwhelmed.” He spoke like he was telling her how to feel, not in a speculating way. His glare made her give a simple nod in agreement and his smile returned, different this time. “Good. That’s what I thought.” 

Cold. Ice cold. Like a penguin. 

“Back to what I had been saying,” he cleared his throat and readjusted himself, his face softening. “Now, I know my reputation precedes me,” he paused, his eyes flicking to hers, causing her to nod again. “But I want you to know that none of my business will be present while you and your friends are all here. The lounge will be a safe place for you all. Whatever you may need I will do my best to provide. I’m sure they’ve told you all of this, though. Am I correct?”

Madeline stared at him, her stomach turning. She hadn’t talked this much with a grown up in years. Her pulse raced as she shook her head. “No, sir. I’m not really friends with...anyone here.”

Oswald frowned but nodded slowly, looking around at the wide room full of kids eating. “None of them?”

“None.”

“Well, my apologies for assuming.” He stood up from the chair, pushing it in and gesturing to the second floor of the building. “On the top floor we have private rooms. They are reserved specifically for you and everyone else here. If you ever want a warm bed, just show up. It doesn’t matter when. The staff here know to allow you in, even during club hours. If you want a change of clothes, we can provide those as well. Understand?” He looked back down at Madeline, dropping his hand back to his side.

“I understand.” 

“Good. Enjoy the rest of your meal.”

And then he walked to the next table, greeting the teenagers by their names. 

Madeline started to relax, slowly going back to eating her macaroni as the singer from earlier, Wren, came back out and music started. A few kids started cheering but Madeline just stole a glance to the stage, then kept her eyes on the table for the rest of her night at the lounge.

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone !! thank u so much for checking out the first story ive written about my lovely oc, madeline (maddie) cobblepot!! im really proud of her and hope u all love her as much as i do!! and a big thank u to the lovely as always bee (@penguins_gambit on twitter!) for allowing me to use their oc, wren!!


End file.
